Adeii Eichii and Red Rock Cliffs

The Adeii Eichii Cliffs are about ten miles east of Cameron, AZ and run in a north/south direction for nearly thirty miles. The southern end of the Adeii Eichii Cliffs is also known as the Red Rock Cliffs. The area below the Adeii Eichii Cliffs to the west is called Ward Terrace, this is the area you will photogrpahing from. Ward Terrace contains many red and white striped hoodoos like those in Blue Canyon.

Adeii Eichii and Red Rock Cliffs are in the Navajo Nation and a permit is needed to visit them. The permit can be obtained in Cameron at the Cameron Visitor Center located at the intersection of Highways 89 and 64 (SW corner). The visitor center is open five days a week from 8AM to 5:30 PM during the winter months. Iti si usually open seven days a week during the summer but the schedule varies. If you planm to pick up a permit on the weekend during the summer you should call +1 928 679-2303 to get their summer hours. Permits are also available by mail, apply well in advance of your trip date. See the Navajo Nation Parks website for more details. Permits are $12.00 US per person per 24 hour period. Camping at the trailhead is included in the $12 pp fee since the permit is valid for 24 hours.

The Adeii Eichii and Red Rock Cliffs areas are very rarely visited. When visiting the Adeii Eichii area I could find little evidence that anyone had driven there them in the past several months. I have not found any directions to the area on English language websites. There have been encounters in the past with local "landowners" who will deny access even if you have a valid Navajo Nation permit. The directions given below should minimize contact with locals.

The Red Rock Cliffs area is also of interest, especially Tohachi Wash where the "Hopi Clown" resides. The Hopi Clown is fifteen miles south of the Adeii Eichii Cliffs. I suggest the Red Rock Cliffs area be visited on a separate trip as the dirt roads between Adeii Eichii and Red Rocks would be very difficult to follow.

Where to stay

In view of the long and difficult drives to either the Adeii Eichii trailhead or the Hopi Clown I suggest you car camp at the trailhead or clown. Alternatively the Cameron Trading Post has a good restaurant, room rates are reasonable, and the wifi works! Tuba City also has good lodging.

When to Go

The Adeii Eichii Cliffs area is at 4,500 feet elevation, about 300 feet higher than Cameron, AZ. Due to the elevation difference Adeii Eichii's climate should be about 1-2° F colder than Cameron's. Here is historical temperature and rainfall data for Cameron:

Unlike many locations in Arizona winters are reasonably mild with averages highs in January about 50° F. Summers are hot with average highs at 100° F and should be avoided. Cameron and Tuba City are in a very windy area of Arizona so March to May should generally be avoided though there will certainly be days with low winds. Fall is probably the best time to visit.

Getting There

Adeii Eichii Cliffs

The Adeii Eichii Cliffs trailhead is about 15.4 miles from Highway 89 via a four wheel drive road. The road is sandy and hard to follow in places so I recommend you download the KML file attached below and drive the road with your GPS on and tracking. The road crosses several washes and is impassable when wet. It takes about 75 minutes to drive the road. The drive begins near Cameron. Coming from Cameron or the south turn right (east) 0.4 miles north of the bridge over the little Colorado River. After 0.1 miles turn left. After another .3 miles bear right at the fork. Continue on the sandy road 6.4 miles to a "T" intersection. Update 2015 - this road has been blocked off by locals and unless you are in an ATV you will not be able to access the Adeii Eichii CLiffs via this route. At the T turn right (southeast) onto an unmarked road. You need to follow this road about 8.5 miles to the trailhead. The road is more of a track than a road and there will be places where it will disappear, especially near washes. Again - you should download the KML file on this site and follow it. The track on the file should be accurate to within ten feet. When you arrive at the trailhead park close to the cliffs so as to minimize the chance of being seen by locals.

Once in the area I suggest you hike to both the "Eye of the Needle" arch and "The Ducks". Both are about two miles from parking. There are no trails but the hiking is level and easy. Keep a GPS track so you can get back to your car after dusk. The Eye of the Needle is best at dawn in the winter months, or at dusk in the summer. The Ducks area is best in the spring/summer at dusk. There are many other formations of interest in this region but I have not yet had a chance to explore them.

Red Rock Cliffs

The best way to visit the Red Rock Cliffs / Hopi Clown area is to take the unnamed dirt roads coming in from the south. These are shown in red on the map below. These roads get very little use and are hard to follow, especially when they cross slickrock. I recommend they only be driven during the daytime. If you plan to visit the Hopi Clown I suggest you car camp overnight near the clown. The last section of the route in red shown below follows Tohachi Wash. Driving up the wash takes you to within fifty yards of the Hopi Clown. Note that Tohachi Wash is impassable after a heavy rain and may have quicksand in it. Also note that while you can get a permit to visit the Hopi Clown the local leaseholder does not like visitors on his property and you may need to leave the area if you run into him.

To get to the start of the route shown in red you can take Indian Route 6730 from either the east or west, or take Indian Route 6732 or 6710 from the south.

From the east take the paved Leupp Oraibi Road (Indian Route 2) to 6730.

From the west take the Wupatki Loop Road (395) to unpaved unsigned 6730. This road starts near the Wupatki visitor center and heads east. I'd suggest you stop at the visitor center and ask about road conditions before driving it. 6730 crosses the Little Colorado at Black Falls and there is no bridge across the river there. When the Little Colorado is flowing do not take this route. The Little Colorado is often flowing in March, April, September, and October. Current flow data at Winslow can be obtained from the USGS here.

From the south you can take Indian Route 6910 which crosses the Little Colorado at Grand Falls. Grand Falls is also known as Chocolate Falls or Muddy Falls and is a great photographic destination when the river is flowing quickly. When the Little Colorado is flowing this route is impassable. If this is the case take the Leupp Oraibi Road starting from Indian Route 15 near Leupp. A nice trip in late March would be to drive to Grand Falls and shoot there when flow is sufficient. If the Little Colorado is not flowing cross the Little Colorado and proceed to the Hopi Clown. You could also do Grand Falls and the Hopi Clown in one day. After shooting Grand Falls backtrack to Indian Route 15 and then take Indian Route 2 to get over the river.

Shooting Recommendations

The best side of the Hopi Clown faces the northeast. Sunrise shots should work reasonably well starting in late March. Sunset shots might work around the summer solstice. I suggest you us Photoephemeris as a shot planning tool so you can get some idea of the light on the northeast face when you plan to go. My only visit to the Hopi Clown occurred in late November and light was less than optimal.

Maps

Here is an overview map showing the drives in to both Adeii Eichii and the Hopi Clown, and several areas of photographic interest:

To view the map larger please click on the box in the upper right corner of the map.

USGS 24K Topo Maps

The maps below contain the entire Adeii Eichii Cliffs including the Red Rock Cliffs area. The topo map "The Landmark" covers the area in the Adeii Eichii that I photographed. It also contains the hike in. The Gold Tooth map is just north of The Landmark. There are probably good photo opportunities in this region as well. Cameron NE and Cameron SE cover the drive in.

The topo map Rock Head contains the Hopi Clown and Tohachi Wash and most of the dirt road route in. The other topo maps below show the named access roads.

Here is an image showing the location of the maps:

All the maps together with a merge map of the entiure area can be downloaded in a variety of formats by clicking or right-clicking below. The merge map is quite large.